NSW: Doctor tells court he was too tired before girl died

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2007
NSW: Doctor tells court he was too tired before girl died

SYDNEY, April 11 AAP - A doctor has told a Sydney court he may have been "too tired"

to make appropriate decisions regarding a teenage patient, who died in hospital after
being struck by a golf ball.

Sixteen-year-old Vanessa Anderson was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital on November
6, 2005 after a golf ball fractured her skull.

An inquest at Glebe Coroners Court has heard that Vanessa was not given any anti-convulsant
medication before she suffered a seizure and died two days later.

Dr Azizi Bakar, the neurosurgical registrar who admitted Vanessa to the hospital, gave
evidence to the inquest today via video link from Malaysia.

The court has been told that the consultant neurosurgeon, Dr Nicolas Little, had prescribed
the anti-convulsant Dilantin for Vanessa on November 7, but her mother had subsequently
raised concerns with a junior doctor, Nicole Williams, that she might be allergic to the
drug.

Dr Williams had asked him that evening whether the drug should be administered, Dr Bakar said.

He told the court he did not answer her, although he knew Vanessa would not (not) be
given the medication as a result.

"I might (have been) too tired to think of what to do," he told the inquest.

Dr Bakar said he had spent nine hours in the operating theatre that day and had worked
long hours for the previous five days.

Two other registrars were absent at the time, leaving Dr Bakar as the only neurosurgical
registrar on Vanessa's ward.

Dr Bakar told the court he had not considered contacting Dr Little for his advice or
giving Vanessa a different anti-convulsant drug, which might not have triggered an adverse
reaction.

"I might be too tired to think of that problem," he said.

The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Carl Milovanovich.

AAP ka/bd/wjf/cp/de

KEYWORD: ANDERSON

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